CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bulls fined forward Tyrus Thomas $10,000 on Tuesday, one day after the rookie said he only was interested in the money for the NBA's slam dunk contest.

The first Bull since Scottie Pippen in 1990 to participate in the event, Thomas was quoted in Tuesday's editions of the Chicago Tribune as saying: "I'm just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day."

When asked if being around some of the game's greats could be beneficial for a rookie, he responded, "I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there."

The winner of the Feb. 17 event in Las Vegas gets $35,000. The runner-up earns $22,500, with the third and fourth-place finishers getting $16,125. Joining Thomas are defending champion Nate Robinson of New York, Orlando All-Star Dwight Howard and Boston's Gerald Green.

"This fine is an appropriate response to the remarks Tyrus made concerning his participation in the slam dunk contest," Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said in a statement. "It is a poor reflection on Tyrus individually and a poor reflection on the Bulls organization, and I am certainly disappointed. The league office has chosen Tyrus to participate in one of its All-Star events and that is an honor that should be accepted with humility. I spoke to Tyrus this morning and am confident he understands that he made a mistake with his words and that he also understands the importance of representing the Bulls and the NBA in a positive way."

Thomas has appeared in 41 games, averaging 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds.

3 things --

1) HAHAHAHAHHAHA @ Getting fined for talking ****. Classic.
2) Why is Dwight Howard in this? He's a great young talent, but isn't he 7 feet tall? Big guys, no matter how hard they dunk or how high they jump, never look cool dunking. Maybe Dwight vs. Nate, Big vs. Small could be a "storyline" but big guys just don't look impressive dunking.
3) Gerald Green will win.